Fixture for attaching bumpers or the like to automobile frames



March 31. 19 4 2 s. R. BERLU'EI 252.78,,121

FIXTURE EOR ATTACHING BUMPERS OR THE LIKE TO AUTOMOBILE FRAMES Filed March 21,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY .--,mh 31, 1942. E. R. BERLUTI 2,278,121

FIXTURE FOR ATTACHING BUMPERS OR THE LIKE IO AUTOMOBILE FRAMES Filed March 21, 1940 2 Sheets-Elise; 2

INVENTOR' Patented Mar. 31, 1942 FIXTURE FOR ATTACHING BUMPERS OR THE LIKE TO AUTOMOBILE FRAMES Ercole R. Berluti, Saginaw, Mich.

Application March 21, 1940, Serial No. 325,163

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improved clamping means or brackets for securing fender guards or the like to frame members of vehicles, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved clamping device to engage a longitudinal frame member or girder and carry the fender or other accessory. Its object is to provide a novel clamp or bracket which shall be simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which may be installed easily and securely without need for drilling holes or using any special tools.

A further object is to provide a complete bumper-carrying assembly comprising a bracket according to the invention, having a minimum number of parts and which, for purposes of aligning and. locating fender guards or lateral bumpers on vehicles of varying dimensions, is adjustable to a variety of positions in all three dimensions when it is installed. A standard assembly of this kind may be used on a great number of vehicle makes and models having different spacings and relationships between their frames and fenders or other external body parts relative to which the bumper or fender guard must be located.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be described more fully in the course of the following specification.

Referring to the drawings, which show applications of the invention to frame-engaging brackets of various types:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bracket according to the invention applied to a box-type girder member of an automobile frame, viewed lengthwise of the frame;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the bracket of Fig. 1, showing a bar attached to the front end of a rear fender guard;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a bracket according to the invention, modified for application to a channel-shaped frame member;

Figs. 4 and 5 are a side elevation and bottom View respectively of a third form of bracket embodying the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of still another modification of the invention, in which the bracket is combined with a novel bumper-carrying element which serves also as a bracket tightening screw, the assembly being capable of adjustment to a variety of positions and dimensions for aligning and locating the fender guard relative to the fender or other external part of the vehicle body.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the bracket shown consists of an integral fixture comprising a pad or face plate I to receive th bumper assembly or other device to be attached. A laterally projecting arm 2 extending inwardly of the vehicle frame presents an upwardly directed face positioned to bear against the bottom of the frame member. A horizontal opening 3 is formed in the bracket to receive the outer lateral flange Ill of the frame member. The upper face 4 of the notch 3 is positioned to bear downwardly against the top of flange I0. The bracket presents also an integral face plate or bearing member 5 spaced inwardly from pad I, positioned to bear laterally against the upright side face II of the frame member, and connected by an integral stiffening Web 6 with pad I.

Adjustable means for securing the bracket unit to the frame member consists in the instant device of a tapered-end set screw I tapped through the horizontal arm 2 into the notch 3 to engage firmly against the bottom of the lateral flange Ill of the frame member. A lock-nut 8 is provided for securing set screw 1 firmly in its tightened position. The downwardly directed face 4 of the bracket at notch 3 is referably relieved at 9 to receive flange metal which may be displaced upward, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the set screw I is tightened. The bracket I is installed upon the frame member by slipping it over the lateral flange I0 of the frame member and drawing it snugly into place by tightening set screw 1. To draw the bracket in against the outer face I I of the frame girder, set screw I is set at angle A from the vertical. This inclination of the set screwalsoefiectively resists any outward loosening strains upon the bracket.

A strap metal member I2 is secured by bolts I 3 to the pad I, and extends behind the rear wheel (not shown) outside of the fender skirt over the bottom flange Illa of the frame member.

The hook presents a horizontal surface to bear downwardly against the top of the flange Illa. The outer upright face Ila of the frame member is engaged by a set screw Ia tapped through the face plate 5a of the bracket. Set screw Ia constitutes means bearing inwardly against the upright side plate of the frame member, and also,

in a slightly different way performs the retaining function of set screw 1 in Figs. 1 and 2. When installed on the girder Ila the bracket assembly presents elements adapted to bear downwardly and upwardly on flange Illa, inwardly upon face plate Ila and outwardly against the girder. Forces applied in any direction to the bracket which tend to dislodge the bracket from the frame are thus effectively resisted.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a bracket assembly similar to the brackets of Figs. 13 in its bearing relationships to the frame member, but diiferent in its specific construction and the means for attaching and tightening it in place. It is particularly adapted to ready installation on certain motor vehicles where set screws as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 would be inaccessible or otherwise undesirable. It comprises a pad I to-carry the bumper assembly and a face plate 5 connected by a web 6 to pad I to bear laterally against the upright face Ila of the frame-member.

The bottom portion of the bracket assembly is divided into two parts. A member l5 integral with face plate 5 extends transversely of the girder to bear against its bottom, and its inner end is beveled to present an inwardly and upwardly sloping face or ramp [6. A separate hooked member I! is beveled at its outer end to present a ramp l8 congruous with ramp It, to coact wedgewise with it when pieces l5 and H are drawn together and urge member I5 upwardly. The recurved portion of member l'l presents a face adapted to bear downwardly upon the bottom flange Illa of the frame member.

Members l5 and ll of the assembly are provided with coaxial bores 19 and 20 respectively. Bores l9 and 2B are larger than the bolt 23, at least in their vertical dimension, to permit relative vertical shifting of pieces [5 and ,l! when the assembly is tightened. Bore It extends through a boss 2| on the under face of member l5. Piece I1 is relieved at 22 (see Fig. 5) to expose the end of a bolt 23. which is passed through the bores I9 and 20. Nut 24 on the bolt 23 bears against a shoulder 25 at the inner end of bore 20, and when tightened draws pieces I5 and I! together, urging the hook of piece I! downwardly upon the flange Mia and wedging the upper horizontal face of arm l5 tightly into engagement with the under face of the flange. Face plate 5 is also drawn into firm engagement with the vertical face i la of the frame member.

Whenv the bracke assembly is tightened in place it is held firmly against inward, upward, or downward stresses and is prevented from being pulled outwardly by engagement of either the end or the bight of the hook member H with the frame member.

Fig. 6 shows another adaptation of the invention, affording certain novel advantages of structural simplicity and adaptability to the nstallation of bumpers or fender guards on vehicles of various body dimensions. It consists of a twopiece clamping bracket like that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but having as a component part the member to which the bumper is attached. A heavy rod 26 having its outer end bent at an approximate right angle constitutes a bracket member to carry the fender guard, and at its inner end is threaded for a substantial distance to replace the bolt 23 of Figs. 4 and 5. It is passed through the enlarged bore 2! in piece l5 and is screwed into a tapped bore 28 in the hooked member Ila. A nut 29 bearing against the outer upright face of bracket member 55 draws pieces l5 and Ha together and locks the rod firmly in the threads of bore 28.

The advantages of this assembly are apparent from the following description of its installation upon a vehicle. In various automobiles or other vehicles the distance from the frame outwardly to the outer skirt of the fender varies, even in like models of the same manufacture. The height of the rear bumper relative to the frame of the car also varies from model to model and make to make. To install the assembly shown on any given car the clamping bracket is hooked in place over the inwardly extending flange lOa of the frame and adjusted lengthwise thereof to the approximate desired location. The rod 2'6 is inserted in bore 21 and screwed to the desired depth into the tapped bore 28 in piece lla, that is, until its bent end is spaced from the frame the distance required to locate the fender guard horizontally with relation to the fender skirt. The rod is then adjusted through a fractional turn to locate the fender guard at the desired height. For this adjustment the fender guard 18 conveniently is loosely attached to its outer end by bolt 3|. The bracket assembly is then finally readjusted lengthwise of the frame. Nut 29 is tightened, drawing the pieces 15 and Ila together and clamping the bracket assembly firmly upon the frame member. Bolt 3!, or other suitable means for fastening the front end of the fender guard I4 to the bracket rod 26 is then secured. A nut 30 is preferably provided for the inner end of rod 26 to oppose any tendency for it to turn in bore 28 as a result of road shocks. A lock-nut on top of nut 29 may also be found desirable, or a lockwasher (not shown) may be used under nut 29 in known manner. Finally, any surplus length of rod 26 projecting inwardly of member lla may be cut off.

Because of its adjustability in three dimensions the assembly just described is adaptable in one or two models to a great number of automobiles. A simple modification which does not depart from the invention adapts this same assembly to girders of various kinds, including a box section as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The hook element Ila, need only be modified in length to suit it to the shallower fiange at the inside of the frame member. Other changes in dimensions, form and arrangement of the parts to meet specific conditions may also be made, within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For instance, the brackets of Figs. 3 through 5 may be designed for use on box girders as in Figs. 1 and2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A clamping assembly for securing a fender guard or like fixture to a vehicle frame member presenting an inwardly projecting substantially horizontal flange and an upright outer face, said assembly consisting of a bracket element comprising a member to bear laterally inward against said upright face of the frame member, a second member formed and adapted'to extend transversely beneath and engage the bottom of said frame member and presenting a ramp sloping upwardly to its inner end, a second bracket element formed at its outer end to present a ramp congruous to and adapted to engage slidingly over the ramp of the first bracket element and presenting at its inner end a hook adapted to engage over said flange to bear downward thereon, and outward against said frame member, means to draw said bracket members together comprising a threaded rod bent at its outer end to present a carrying arm for the fender guard adjustable in height and lateral spacing relative to the clamping assembly and frame member, said rod passing through alined bores in said elements extending lengthwise thereof and intersecting said inclined ramps, and nut means on said threaded rod for urging and holding the elements together in clamping relation to the frame.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bore in said second bracket element is tapped to receive said threaded rod, and a nut is threaded on said rod to bear inwardly against said first bracket element to clamp the elements to the frame.

ERCOLE R. BERLU'I'I. 

